Method and apparatus for strand winding and reeling

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for continuously winding strand material on alternate ones of a pair of side-by-side takeup reels. The reels are selectively rotated, and each has a strand snagger plate. When one reel is full, the strand is moved by suitable means toward the other reel for winding thereon without interrupting the feeding of the strand. The strand is caught by the snagger plate on the empty reel during changeover. A finger member is provided for preventing the strand from being caught by the snagger plate on the full reel.

United States Patent [191 Croisettere [111 3,721,393 l lMarcll 20, 1973[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRAND WINDING AND REELING [75] Inventor:Joseph R. Marcel Croisettere,

Fabreville, Laval, Quebec, Canada [73] Assignee: Northern ElectricCompany Limited,

Montreal, Quebec, Canada 221 Filed: Oct. 22, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 82,943

[52] 11.8. C1. ......242/25 A [51] Int. Cl. ..B65h 54/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..242/25 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,971,7082/1961 Detrick... ..242/25 A Diehl ..242/25 A Minardi et a1. ..242/25 APrimary Examiner-Stan1ey N Gilreath Attorney-Philip T. Erickson [57]ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for continuously winding strand materialon alternate ones of a pair of side-byside takeup reels. The reels areselectively rotated, and each has a strand snagger plate. When one reelis full, the strand is moved by suitable means toward the other reel forwinding thereon without interrupting the feeding of the strand. Thestrand is caught by the snagger plate on the empty .reel duringchangeover. A finger member is provided for preventing the strand frombeing caught by the snagger plate on the full reel.

10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTFUHARZOIQYS I 3 721,393

SHEET 10F 3 INVENTOR Joseph Marcel CROISETIERE PATHHEURARZUIGTS 721,393

SHEET 2 OF 3 PRIOR ART INVENTOR Joseph R. Marcel CRQISETIERE @WJJB?PATENTEnuARzoms ,721,393

SHEET 3 OF 3 INVENTOR Joseph R. Marcel CROISETIERE A TTORNEY METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR STRAND WINDING AND REELING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.Field of the Invention This invention relates to improvements in amethod and apparatus for continuously winding strand material onalternate ones of a pair of rotary takeup reels.

More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method andapparatus for changing over the winding of a strand from a fully woundreel to an empty reel without interrupting the feeding of the strandduring continuous winding and while minimizing the tendency of thestrand to break during changeover.

2. Description of the Prior Art Continuous strand winding and reelingapparatus generally comprises a pair of detachable, rotatable takeupreels which are mounted on a common axis of rotation, the reels slightlyspaced apart from one another. Means are provided for rotating one ofthe reels to wind strand material, guided thereto by a dis tributor,while the otherreel remains stationary. When the one reel has been woundwith the desired amount of strand material, rotation of the other reelis begun, and the strand is then transferred by the distributor forwinding from the fully wound reel to the empty reel and simultaneouslycut. It is to be understood that the terms fully wound reel and fullreel as used herein denote a reel which has been wound withavpredetermined amount of strand material. To assist in transferring thestrand from the full reel to the empty reel, a snagger plate havingteeth-for snagging the strand is detachably connected on the end of eachreel facing the other reel. The strand is moved, into a position whereit can be snagged or caught by the teeth, by the distributor when itmoves from a position over the full reel to a position over the emptyreel. With the strand extending between the two reels after thedistributor has moved to this position, the teeth of the snagger platescatch the strand and direct it to a cutting knife located between thetwo reels to cut it. The snagger plates usually hold the cut ends of thestrand until the winding of the strand on the empty reel is underway.

It is important during the transfer of the strand from the full reel tothe empty reel to minimize the strain exerted on the strand when it iscaught by the snagger plates so as to avoid breaking it. In order tominimize the strain, attempts have been made to place the strand in aposition where it extends from the distributor, when the distributor ismoved over to the empty reel, in a direction extending substantiallytangentially to the cylindrical surface of the empty reel at the time itis snagged by the snagger plates for cutting.

If the strand is in the above-described position when caught by a toothof the snagger plate, the strain imparted on the strand is minimizedsince the tooth has a component of velocity, in the directionof strandtravel, which is substantially equal to the velocity of the strand.

If the strand is not in the above-described position when caught by atooth of the snagger plate, the tooth generally has a component ofvelocity, in the direction of strand travel, which is greater than thespeed of the strand. The tooth thus can jerk the strand when catchingit, thus possibly breaking it.

Apparatus for attempting to place the strand in the aforesaid preferredsnagging position, where it extends from the distributor tangentially tothe cylindrical surface'of the empty reel, is known. The apparatusincludes guides extending over a portion of the periphery of the snaggerplates for' guiding the strand to the theoretical preferred positionduring changeover while preventing the snagger teeth from catching thestrand during movement to this position. A swinging bar is also providedbetween the reels and the guides for positively moving the strand overthe guides down toward the preferred snagging position. An example ofthe above-described apparatus is shown, for example, in Canadian Pat.643,357, issued June 19, 1962, Judson N. Detrick, inventor.

It has been found, however, that this type of apparatus still does notavoid placing undue strain on the strand when it is snagged. Even withsuitable guide means for guiding the strand, extending between thereels, down to a theoretically preferred snagging position, the strandis caught first by the full reel snagger plate. When caught by the fullreel snagger plate, the strand actually extends in substantially thesame direction as the direction the tooth of the full reel snagger plateis travelling. The full reel snagger tooth moves at a higher speed thanthe speed of travel of the strand. Thus, the tooth, when catching thestrand as it extends in substantially the same direction as thedirection the tooth is moving, places a load on the strand, which couldlead to its breaking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is designed to overcomethe above problem. The present invention ensures that the strand, duringits transfer from the full reel to the empty reel, is snagged by theempty reel snagger plate rather then the full reel snagger plate whenthe strand has been moved to a position where it extends substantiallytangentially to the cylindrical surface of the empty reel from thestrand distributor means during changeover. When the strand, in thisposition, is caught by the empty reel snagger plate, the speed impartedon the strand by the engaging tooth, in the direction of the strand, issubstantially equal to the speed of the strand itself. Consequently, thespeed of advancement of the strand is substantially constant during theentire changeover operation, and there is substantially no stretchingforce imparted to the strand during the changeover operation.

The invention is directed toward a method for continuously winding astrand on alternate ones of a pair of rotary side-by-side takeup reels.Each reel has a snagger plate. A distributor guides strand material tothe reels and is movable from a guiding position opposite to one reel toa guiding position opposite to the other reel. The method includescontinuously winding the strand, guided from the distributor, on one ofthe reels; moving the distributor toward the other empty reel when thesaid one reel becomes full; guiding the strand extending from the fullreel to the distributor, as the distributor is moved toward the otherreel, toward a position where the strand extends from the distributor ina direction substantially tangential to the strand receiving surface ofthe other reel; means being actuated to prevent snagging of the strandin said position by the full reel snagger plate; and snagging saidstrand, while in said position, by the snagger plate on the empty reel.

The invention is further directed toward an apparatus for continuouslywinding a strand on alternate ones of a pair of side-by-side takeupreels, each reel having a cylindrical surface for receiving strandmaterial to be wound thereon and each reel having a snagger plateconnected to its end facing the other reel. The apparatus includes meansfor selectively rotating the reels, a distributor for delivering strandmaterial onto the reels, means for moving the distributor from a fullreel position opposite to one reel to an empty reel position opposite tothe other reel while it continues to deliver strand material to be woundon the full reel, means for guiding the strand material during themovement of the distributor to the empty reel position toward a positionwhere it extends from the distributor in a direction substantiallytangential to the cylindrical surface of the empty reel, and means,movable to cooperate with the guide means, to prevent the snagger plateon the full reel from engaging the strand when moved to said positionwhile permitting the snagger plate on the empty reel to engage thestrand when in said position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described indetail having reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of strand winding and reeling apparatusfor carrying out the invention showing the position of the strand at thebeginning of the changeover operation;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view in partial cross-section, showing theposition of the strand immediately before being snagged by the emptyreel snagger plate;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing the forces involved when the strandis snagged when in the position shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the position of the strand whencaught by the full reel snagger plate as in prior art;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation view showing the means for preventingthe snagging of the strand by the full reel snagger plate;

FIG. 5 is a partial bottom elevation view showing the position of themeans for preventing the snagging of the strand by the full reel snaggerplate;

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are details of another embodiment for preventingsnagging of the strand by the full reel snagger plate; and

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are details of a further embodiment for preventingsnagging of the strand by the full reel snagger plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in F IG. 1, theapparatus 1 for continuously winding a strand 3 on alternate ones of apair of sideby-side rotary takeup reels 5, 5' includes a frame 9supporting the first and second reels 5, 5 for rotation about a commonaxis. Driving and braking means 11, 13 supported by the frame areconnected to the reels 5, 5' respectively. Mounted on top of the frame 9is a distributor 15 having outlet guides 16 for guiding the strand froma supply source (not shown) to the takeup reels for winding thereon. Thedistributor 15 is mounted for movement in a direction parallel to theaxis of rotation of the reels along guide means 17 supported by theframe 9. The distributor can be moved between a first position Aopposite to the first reel 5 to a second position A opposite to thesecond reel 5', as shown in FIG. 1, so that it may guide strand materialto be wound to either of the reels depending upon which position it isin. Suitable means (not shown) are provided for moving the distributorbetween the first and second positions and also for moving thedistributor at each of the first and second positions so that ittraverses a cylindrical strand receiving surface 19, 19' of each of thereels located between reel flanges 21 and 23 and 21' and 23'respectively.

Shortly before movement of the distributor between its positions A and Aand before strand changeover, the empty reel 5' is given a rotationalspeed to by its drive means 13 so that the peripheral speed of itsstrand receiving surface 19 is substantially equal to the strand speed VThe full reel 5, on the other hand, has a rotational speed of w to takeinto account the difference in speed necessary to have the peripheralspeed of the outer diameter of the strand core, already wound on thereel, equal to the strand speed V,.

A snagger plate 25, 25 is mounted adjacent the inner flange 21 and 21'of each of the reels 5, 5' and has teeth 27, 27 extending about itsperiphery facing in the direction of rotation of each reel for snaggingthe strand when the strand is placed into a snagging position duringmovement of the distributor between its first and second positions. Thediameter of each snagging plate is equal to or slightly greater than thediameter of the flanges of the reels.

In order to prevent the snagger plates 25, 25' from catching the strandimmediately when the strand is moved across the snagger plates duringmovement of the distributor 15 between the first and second positions A,A', guide means 28, 28', suitably connected to the frame 9, extend overa portion of the periphery of each snagger plate 25, 25', as partiallyshown in FIG. 2. Each guide means includes a curved plate 29, 29extending over a portion of the periphery of the snagger plates andbeing wide enough to cover the teeth on the snagger plates. One end 31,31' of each guide plate 29, 29 is located rearwardly of a first point Bon the periphery of each snagger plate 25, 25. Point B is located by theintersection of an imaginary plane C, drawn from the outlet guides 16 ofthe distributor 15 to extend tangentially to the cylindrical surface 19of the reel 5', with the outer periphery of the snagger plates. Theother end 33, 33 of each guide plate 29, 29' terminates adjacent point Dat the bottom of each snagger plate where said imaginary plane C againintersects the periphery of each snagger plate on the side of thecylindrical surface 19' remote from the distributor 15. This secondpoint D is at the preferred position for locating the strand 3 forcatching it by the empty reel snagger plate tooth 27 during transfer ofthe strand from the full reel to the empty reel.

In order to assist in moving the strand 3 over the guide plates 29, 29'down to the preferred transfer position D, a pusher rod 35 is mountedbetween the two reels and the guide plates on a collar 37 mounted on ashaft 39 located at the axis of rotation of the reels. The rod 35extends from the collar radially outwardly a greater distance than theradial distance of the guide plates 29, 29' from the axis of rotation ofthe reels. The pusher rod 35 is movable from a first inoperativeposition located to the rear of point B to a second position at thelower end 33, 33 of the guide plates 29, 29', as

shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Suitable means 50, for rotating thecollar 37 and thus rod 35 about shaft 39 between its positions, areprovided. As shown in FIG. 2, the collar rotating means 50 can comprisesuitable actuating means, such as a hydraulic cylinder 52, pivotablyconnected at one end to the frame 9. The actuating rod 53 of thecylinder 52 is pivotably connected to one arm 54 of a bellcrank 55 whichis pivotably mounted by a pin 56 to the frame 9. The other arm 57 of thebellcrank is pivotably connected to one end of a curved drive arm 58,the other end of which is pivotably connected to a projection 59 on thecollar 37. The arm 58 is curved so as to be able to clear shaft 39 whenmoved by the actuating means to rotate the collar 37. During strandchangeover, the rod 35 is moved to the second position by actuatingcylinder 52 to withdraw rod 53 and thus pivot bellcrank 55 clockwiseabout pin 56, as viewed in FIG. 2. This causes drive arm 57 to rotatethe collar 37 counterclockwise and thus rod 35 to the positions shown bydotted lines in FIG. 2. As the rod 35 is moved to its operativeposition, it intercepts the strand 3 extending between the full reel 5and the distributor as the distributor is moved from its first positionA to its second position A. The rod 35 carries the strand down aroundthe outside of the periphery of the reels over the guide plates 29, 29toward the transferposition D. Once the strand has been moved by the rod35 over a portion of the periphery of the guide plates 29, 29' to aposition approximately shown at E in FIG. 2, the strand proceeds downthe remainder of the length of the guide plates on its own to positionD, being pulled along by the rotating full reel.

If the full reel snagger plate were allowed to engage the strand 3 as itleft the end 33 of the full reel guide plate 29 at position D uponcontinued movement, the strand, when caught, would extend from theoutermost strand layer on the full reel to the snagger plate, and fromthe snagger plate to rod 35 along the line F which is in adirectionsubstantially the same as the direction of movement of the snagger tooth27, as shown by arrow G at position D in FIG. 3. The standard equationfor the linear velocity v a particle moving in a circular path ofdiameter d and having an angular velocity on is given by v nod/2. Itfollows there fore, that the linear speed V of the strand along line FF"is equal to w'(d/2) where w is the speed of rotation of the full reeland d is the diameter of the coil of strand wound on the reel. Thelinear speed V of the snagger tooth 27, along line G at position D, isequal to m'(d'/2) where d is the diameter of the snagger plate. Thus,the speed of the tooth is greater than the speed of the strand by theratio (dld). The tooth thus jerks the strand when catching it as itleaves the guide plate, and this could break the strand.

If, on the other hand, the strand is caught by the empty reel snaggerplate 25' at position D as shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the tooth 27 nowtravelling at a linear speed of V has a component of linear speed V inthe same direction as the direction of strand travel. This component oflinear speed V is equal to the strand speed V,. This follows since theempty reel is rotated at a speed to to have the speed of the drumsurface 19' equal to the strand speed V Thus, the speed of strand v,wd/2 where d" is the diameter of the drum.

The speed V,, of the tooth 27' of the empty reel snagger plate equalsmd'l2 where d is the diameter of the empty reel snagger plate. Now,since V equals V sin 0 and since sin 0 equals (d"/d), V must equal V(d"/d') which is equal to (d'l2) (w d"/d') which is equal to V,. Thus,it is seen that the tooth 27 has a component of speed, V in thedirection of strand travel, which is equal to the strand speed V,,.Therefore, the tooth 27, when catching the strand, places little or nostrain on the strand extending from the tooth to the distributor.

In order to prevent the strand from being caught by the full reelsnagger plate, guide extensions 41, 41 are provided for selectivecooperation with respective guide plates 29, 29'. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4and 5, guide extension 41 can comprise a finger member 43 having a freeleading end 45 which can abut with the trailing end 33 of guide plate 29at position D. Member 43 cooperates with the guide plate 29 when abuttedthereagainst to form a continuation of the guide means.

The finger member 43 extends for a relatively short distance as comparedto the length of the curved guide plate and has a strand guide surface44 which has substantially the same curvature as the strand guidesurface 46 of plate 29. The other end of the finger member 43 oppositeits end 45 is connected to a support member 47. The support member 47extends in the opposite direction to the finger member and is pivotablyconnected by a pin 48 to a portion of the frame 9. Hydraulic means 49,or other suitable means, are pivotably mounted on frame 9 and a rod 50extending from the hydraulic means is pivotably connected to the end ofmember 47. Operation of the hydraulic means 49 moves member 47 and thusfinger 43 about pin 48 from an initial position, shown in full lines inFIG. 4, where the end 45 of the finger 43 is spaced from the end 33 ofthe guide plate 29, to a final position shown in dotted lines, where theend 45 of finger member 43 abuts the end 33 of the plate 29 to form acontinuation of the strand guide surface 46 of guide plate 29.

Guide extension 41' is identical in construction to extension 41 andcooperates with guide plate 29' in the same manner as extension 41cooperates with guide plate 29.

Preferably, the ends 33, 33 of the guide plates and the free ends 45,45' of the finger members extend at an angle to the rotational axis ofthe reels, as shown in FIG. 5. The angle a is selected to approximatelymatch the path taken by the strand during changeover between the reelsafter the strand has been moved by the rod 35. The ends 33, 45 extend atan equal but opposite angle to the ends 33', 45' to accommodate thestrand direction during changeover from reel 5' to reel 5.

In operation, the distributor l5 begins to move from position A oppositeto the now nearly full reel 5 to position A opposite to the empty reel5. Suitable control means are provided to initiate operation of thehydraulie means 49, preferably through movement of the distributortoward position A, to move finger 43 from initial position, shown infull lines in FIG. 4, to the final position, shown in dotted lines,where it forms an extension of the guide plate 29. Finger 43' remains inthe initial position with its free end 45' spaced from trailing end 33'of guide plate 29' to form a gap 51', as shown in FIG. 5. The free endface 45 is in position to form a stop surface for the strand, thuspreventing the strand from moving past the gap 51' without droppingthrough It.

As distributor nears position A, hydraulic cylinder 52 is actuated tomove pusher rod 35 from its first position rearwardly of point B to aposition near point D as shown in FIG. 2, thus guiding the strand, nowextending across the guide plates 29, 29, down around their guidingsurface 46 toward position D. As the rod 35 moves past point E, thestrand continues to move over the guide plates and leaves guide plate 29at position D to continue its travel on finger 43 thus preventing thefull reel snagger plate from catching it. The strand continues movementto the end of guide plate 29' assisted, if necessary, by continuedmovement of the rod 35 toward point D, and here it drops through gap 51'to be caught by a tooth 27 on the empty reel snagger plate 25 in theproper position to minimize strain. The strand usually is caught by theempty reel snagger plate before it reaches support 47, although it mayalso dwell at the base of the V formed by members 43 and 47, and is thencut by a knife 53 positioned between the reels as is well known.

The free end of the strand is wrapped about thefull reel and the otherend of the strand, caught by the snagger tooth on the empty reel snaggerplate 25' is wrapped about the surface 19' of the empty reel 5' tocommence winding thereon with the distributor now located opposite tothe empty reel. The finger 43 and the rod 35 can now be returned totheir initial (or at rest) positions automatically, if desired.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate a second embodiment of the invention forensuring that the strand is caught first by the snagger plate associatedwith the empty reel. In this embodiment, each guide plate 29, 29 isconstructed to each have a curved extension plate 61, mounted in theirlower end. The curved extension plate 61 can be selectively moved from aposition located within and adjacent the guide plate 29, as shown inFIG. 6A, where it is located to the rear of edge 33 of the guide plate29, to a position where it extends past the edge 33 of the guide plate29, as shown in FIG. 6B. In this position, it forms a continuation ofthe guide plate 29, thereby preventing the strand 3, as it leaves plate29, from being engaged by the tooth 27 of the full reel snagger plate25. The plate 61 associated with each guide plate is moved selectivelyin the same manner as the fingers 41, 41' to ensure snagging of thestrand by the empty reel snagger plate with the strand in the preferredposition. The plates 61 are mounted to the guide plates by guide means63. A bowden cable 65, or other suitable means, extending in a conduit67, and connected at one end to suitable moving means (not shown)mounted on the frame, is connected to each extension plate to move it tothe operative position shown in FIG. 68 during changeover.

A further embodiment of the invention in shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C.In this embodiment, guide members 81, 83 are mounted in a positionbetween the reels. Each guide member 81, 83 includes a guide plateextension 85 having the same curvature as the guide plates 29, 29. Theguide plate extension 85 is mounted on a pivoted arm 87. The arm 87 ismounted on a pivot 89 which in turn is fixed on a center post 91 locatedbetween the reels. The arm 87 has an extension 93, the free end of whichis connected to a moving means 95, such as a hydraulic cylinder, forexample. The moving means can also be mounted on a center post 91. Eachextension 85 is normally in the position shown in FIG. 7A. When strandchangeover from one reel to the other is to occur, the appropriate arm87 is pivoted by the moving means 95 to move one of the extensions tothe position shown in FIG. 78 to prevent the strand from being caughtfirst by the full reel snagger plate 25.

I claim:

1. A method of continuous strand reeling on a pair of rotary take-upreels, each reel associated with a snagger plate, comprising the stepsof:

winding the strand on one of said reels from a distributor,

moving the distributor from a guiding position opposite to the one reelto a guiding position opposite to the other reel when said one reelcontains a predetermined amount of strand material,

guiding the strand, extending from the one reel to the distributor asthe distributor is moved toward the other reel, to a position where thestrand extends from the distributor in a plane substantially tangentialto the strand receiving surface of the other reel,

preventing the strand in said position from being snagged by the snaggerplate associated with the reel containing the predetermined amount ofstrand material, and

snagging said strand while in said position by the empty reel snaggerplate.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the step of cutting thestrand when it has been caught by the empty reel snagger plate.

3. An apparatus for continuously winding a strand on alternate ones of apair of side-by-side take-up reels, each reel having a cylindricalsurface for receiving strand material to be wound thereon and each reelassociated with a snagger plate connected to its end facing the otherreel, said apparatus comprising:

means for selectively rotating said reels,

means for moving the distributor from a full reel position opposite toone reel to an empty reel position opposite to the other reel while itcontinues to deliver strand material to be wound on the one reel,

means for guiding the strand material, during the movement of thedistributor to the empty reel position, toward a position where thestrand extends from the distributor in a plane substantially tangentialto the cylindrical surface of the empty reel, and

means movable to cooperate with the guide means,

to prevent the snagger plate on the full reel from engaging the strandwhen moved to said position, and to allow engaging said strand, while insaid position, by the empty reel snagger plate.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guide means includesa guide plate covering a peripheral portion of each snagger plate, eachguide plate terminating in an end edge at a position determined by wherean imaginary plane, extending from the distributor tangentially to thecylindrical strand receiving surface, intersects the periphery of thesnagger plate on the side of the cylindrical strand receiving surfaceremote from said distributor.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means, movable toprevent the snagger plate on the full reel from snagging the strand,comprises a'member movable from a position spaced from the end edge ofthe guide plate to an operative position to form a continuation of theguide plate.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said member comprises afinger having a free end edge, and means moving the finger to theoperative position where its free end edge abuts the end edge of theguide plate.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, including means pivotablymounting the finger for movement to the operative position.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the member comprises aplate member, means mounting the plate member on the guide plateadjacent the end edge, and means moving the plate member relative to theguide plate so it extends past the end edge of the guide plate.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the end edge of the guide.plate and the end edge of the finger extend at an angle to the axis ofrotation of the reels.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for guidingthe strand includes a guide rod located between the reels, an axialshaft extending between the reels, a member rotatably mounted on saidshaft, said rod mounted on said member, and means for rotating saidmember on said shaft to move said rod.

1. A method of continuous strand reeling on a pair of rotary take-upreels, each reel associated with a snagger plate, comprising the stepsof: winding the strand on one of said reels from a distributor, movingthe distributor from a guiding position opposite to the one reel to aguiding position opposite to the other reel when said one reel containsa predetermined amount of strand material, guiding the strand, extendingfrom the one reel to the distributor as the distributor is moved towardthe other reel, to a position where the strand extends from thedistributor in a plane substantially tangential to the strand receivingsurface of the other reel, preventing the strand in said position frombeing snagged by the snagger plate associated with the reel containingthe predetermined amount of strand material, and snagging said strandwhile in said position by the empty reel snagger plate.
 2. A method asclaimed in claim 1, including the step of cutting the strand when it hasbeen caught by the empty reel snagger plate.
 3. An apparatus forcontinuously winding a strand on alternate ones of a pair ofside-by-side take-up reels, each reel having a cylindrical surface forreceiving strand material to be wound thereon and each reel associatedwith a snagger plate connected to its end facing the other reel, saidapparatus comprising: means for selectively rotating said reels, meansfor moving the distributor from a full reel position opposite to onereel to an empty reel position opposite to the other reel while itcontinues to deliver strand material to be wound on the one reel, meansfor guiding the strand material, during the movement of the distributorto the empty reel positiOn, toward a position where the strand extendsfrom the distributor in a plane substantially tangential to thecylindrical surface of the empty reel, and means movable to cooperatewith the guide means, to prevent the snagger plate on the full reel fromengaging the strand when moved to said position, and to allow engagingsaid strand, while in said position, by the empty reel snagger plate. 4.An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guide means includes aguide plate covering a peripheral portion of each snagger plate, eachguide plate terminating in an end edge at a position determined by wherean imaginary plane, extending from the distributor tangentially to thecylindrical strand receiving surface, intersects the periphery of thesnagger plate on the side of the cylindrical strand receiving surfaceremote from said distributor.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4,wherein said means, movable to prevent the snagger plate on the fullreel from snagging the strand, comprises a member movable from aposition spaced from the end edge of the guide plate to an operativeposition to form a continuation of the guide plate.
 6. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 5, wherein said member comprises a finger having a freeend edge, and means moving the finger to the operative position whereits free end edge abuts the end edge of the guide plate.
 7. An apparatusas claimed in claim 6, including means pivotably mounting the finger formovement to the operative position.
 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim5, wherein the member comprises a plate member, means mounting the platemember on the guide plate adjacent the end edge, and means moving theplate member relative to the guide plate so it extends past the end edgeof the guide plate.
 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein theend edge of the guide plate and the end edge of the finger extend at anangle to the axis of rotation of the reels.
 10. An apparatus as claimedin claim 3, wherein said means for guiding the strand includes a guiderod located between the reels, an axial shaft extending between thereels, a member rotatably mounted on said shaft, said rod mounted onsaid member, and means for rotating said member on said shaft to movesaid rod.